What Should Be Done . . .

[jchnhtfd]

In response to one comment, I think Operation Lifesaver does work -- particularly in locations where it is possible to make presentations in area high schools. In spite of what appearances may be, the majority of young people don't want to do dumb things with their cars (although parents find that hard to believe!) but they often haven't had the experience to know what 'dumb' is vs. 'exciting' (which they do want to do).

I don't think Operation Lifesaver has much impact on adults, however.

It would help a great deal if law enforcement were much stricter for crossing violations (and, in New England, for DUI -- someone above said that DUI gets your license pulled -- not in Connecticut, at least; just get a decent lawyer and off you go). This is NOT a policing problem, but a judicial problem. I'm not, and never have been, a policeman, but it must be very discouraging to them to give someone a ticket for a crossing (or red light -- folks blow through them, too) violation and then see the judge give a minor slap on the wrist, if anything.

Obviously the real solution is grade separation, and I heartily agree with those who advocate separation and crossing elimination -- but I also heartily agree with Mookie and MC: where does the money come from? It should come from the highway trust fund, but (cynic that I am) it seems that the politicos have other uses for that...

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gacuster

Flashing lights and gates make crossings safer but of course are expensive. Twenty years ago I was on the local PD and ticketed several drivers for "slaloming" around crossing gates on a busy street. The fine then was $180 and 6 points off your license (out of 12) which was pretty steep. But as others have noted, the police have many, many other responsibilities and the only reason I caught those drivers was just happening to be there when the violation occurred.
The plain fact is alot of drivers are just too careless, stupid, old, inexperienced or all of the above, and shouldn't even be allowed to drive, but until they do something really dumb they keep on blundering around. Maybe showing a graphic film of the aftermath of a grade crossing accident in driver's ed classes would make people think a little bit.

Perhaps more cooperation between the RR Police and City/County/State Police would help. Something more has to be done. The public has taken the Vanderbuilt idea of "The public be dammed" and turned the tables making it, "The railroads be dammed." More tickets and points off a license might be a very good start. About twice a week I get caught by a train and have to wait, and it is going yard speed. If I can wait for a long freight to pass doing yard speed I don't see why the public can't wait for a freight doing 30 mph.

[gacuster]

Flashing lights and gates make crossings safer but of course are expensive. Twenty years ago I was on the local PD and ticketed several drivers for "slaloming" around crossing gates on a busy street. The fine then was $180 and 6 points off your license (out of 12) which was pretty steep. But as others have noted, the police have many, many other responsibilities and the only reason I caught those drivers was just happening to be there when the violation occurred.
The plain fact is alot of drivers are just too careless, stupid, old, inexperienced or all of the above, and shouldn't even be allowed to drive, but until they do something really dumb they keep on blundering around. Maybe showing a graphic film of the aftermath of a grade crossing accident in driver's ed classes would make people think a little bit.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

If the police ride the locomotives and get license numbers - which in itself cannot be the easiest thing to do (moving car/moving train) can they send them a ticket? Can't very well jump off to write one.

Then you get into politics - ACLU/ State Gov - can you legally cite them and it can only be under restricted circumstances, etc. etc. And the fine is a joke. The whole thing becomes a big red tape issue and

I have another headache!

Make the crossings signaled and gated like ours are and then make the people or the survivors accountable for the actions. You go around and get injured or killed - you pay the railroad. You were tresspassing!

Tough Tinkertoy!

I very much agree about the "You go around . . . You were tresspassing!

As Carl said the stop signs or stop lights at every crossing might help.

I think there must be an end to lawsuits against the railroad when the crossing is signaled. I also think the railroad should go after the driver and his/her insurance company to pay for the damage to the loco (if any) and for the pain and suffering of the crew.

If there is not a law on the books about the above item, then cities, states, and the federal government should enact them.

[Anonymous]

just don't have them for cars buld a bridge over the tracks or a bridge over the road. in my little city the trains go over or under the roads in town. there is no grade crossings that i have seen in the central most part of town. just in the more outlying parts of town that arent so busy with traffic

[Anonymous]

Drove along the UP(CNW) Adams line last weekend. UP (at its expense) has put highway yield signs on all crossbucks at public crossings and highway stop signs at all private crossings.

Maybe there should be an amusement park ride where people have to stand on the ballast as a train passes at 70mph. That would put reality into their pysche.

It would probably take putting the tracks in tunnels to eliminate the problem. Like a natural gas pipeline - out of sight, out of mind.

Think of all the crazy stuff they show on America's Favorite Videos. Human nature.

[CShaveRR]

I'm not sure how much of a manpower issue it would be to better enforce the laws--and penalties--already on the books in some places.

I would like to see stop signs at all grade crossings that currently have no other protection devices such as flashers or gates.

And I've often wondered whether simple traffic signals (perhaps in addition to flashers and gates) would achieve better results--people who would blow through a grade crossing might never dream of running a red light elsewhere.

But now we're talking money.

I have my own selfish reasons for not favoring grade separations, but have to admit that they're the safest course of action to take. And I would further encourage the use of pedestrian tunnels in some places to deter the crossing of tracks by chronic shortcut-takers--it wouldn't be too hard to figure where these could be useful.

[oltmannd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

And where will that $$$$$ come from?

I think MC already knows the indirect answer to that!

Moo - a very poor taxpayer....

(Hi MC - how's the sabbatical?)

Highway trust fund! All of it. All road crossing improvement and maintenance ought to be paid for with highway money. In most cases, there were no automobiles using road crossings when the railroads were built, so why did the RRs have to pick up the cost?

Also, after seeing how well CSX does with the crossings in my neighborhood, and how well the local county does with traffic lights, I think I'd prefer the county handle them.

The poor local CSX maintainer has a large territory cover and response time to "gates down - no train" is terrible.

[Mookie]

If the police ride the locomotives and get license numbers - which in itself cannot be the easiest thing to do (moving car/moving train) can they send them a ticket? Can't very well jump off to write one.

Then you get into politics - ACLU/ State Gov - can you legally cite them and it can only be under restricted circumstances, etc. etc. And the fine is a joke. The whole thing becomes a big red tape issue and

I have another headache!

Make the crossings signaled and gated like ours are and then make the people or the survivors accountable for the actions. You go around and get injured or killed - you pay the railroad. You were tresspassing!

Tough Tinkertoy!

[zardoz]

Originally posted by edblysard

Well,
After the cops and the wizz wagon leaves, the trainmaster offers you the choice to continue working (if your locomotive is still usable) or takes you back to your terminal, you get in your car and go home.
Thats pretty much it.

Ed
[quote
And then you live the rest of your life with the visual and emotional experiences of the incident permanently etched on your mind, available for review whenever you wish (which is never).

It wasn't the idiot that drives his car around the gate that I ever had recurring memories of; they were just idiots that the world just might be better off without. It wasn't the moron that was playing chicken and lost that bothered me (although pedestrian strikes are usually quite messy).

It is the look on the faces of the innocent victims, such as the passengers in a car being driven around the gates, or the look on a kid's face as their moronic parents drive around the gates.

Believe me, the look on someone's face as they see your locomotive bearing down on them at a high rate of speed, knowing full well that they are about to die, is an expression that you remember forever. And no matter how much Hollywood might try to replicate the look of abject terror in its movies, NOTHING even comes close to the fear a train crew sees just before they kill someone.

It has been 30 years since my first fatality at a grade crossing, and if I choose to, I can recall with great clarity the expression on the face of the wife of the person than was in such a hurry he could not wait for my suburban train, travelling at 70mph, to clear the crossing. She died instantly, he 'escaped' with injuries (and the memory of killing his wife).

How can this be prevented? I sure do not know, other than with the implemtation of the many fine suggestions already made here. But as a (former) member of a train crew, I sure would like to see something change for the better.

And by the way, the reason for the above mentioned person going around the gates resulting in the death of his wife? He had to drop her off at home so he could be on time for a sporting event!

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